lights. One tree stands out, decorated in red, white, and blue to celebrate this year’s 250th anniversary of America’s founding. Nativity scenes number 500 styles. Tree trims, gifts, and ornaments cram row after row of display racks grouped in sections with themes including teaching, firefighters, medical, babies, anniversary, and, of course, religion and churches. I find tree decorations of snowflakes, snowmen, icicles, elves and birds including penguins, peacocks, and owls, to name a few. I was particularly surprised to see RV ornaments dangling on hooks. “It’s more Christmas than you can probably ever imagine. You just have to see it,” says the CVB’s Brooke Bronner. “You can explain it, talk about how big it is, but until you get inside, it’s really hard to comprehend just how much Christmas there really is.” Also on the store’s grounds is the Silent Night Memorial Chapel, a replica of the chapel in Oberndorf, Salzburg, Austria that was built on the site of the original St. Nicholas Church where the Christmas carol Silent Night was sung for the first time in 1818. “It’s pretty spot on,” quips Bronner. In the afternoon, we board a so-called Frankenmuth FunShip (actually a covered pleasure boat) and chug along the tranquil Cass River. Our mini cruise includes tastings of wines from regional wineries paired with
locally made chocolates. “Something about putting people on the boat with wine and chocolate—it really makes people friendly,” notes boat captain Andrew Iliff. Another boating option is hopping onboard the Bavarian Belle Riverboat for a narrated tour along the river. The paddlewheel vessel accommodates up to 150 passengers and comes within full view of Frankenmuth’s iconic Holz Brücke Covered Bridge completed in 1980. Come dinnertime, we indulge in Frankenmuth’s famous family-style chicken dinners served at the Bavarian Inn Restaurant and Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth. “They say we’re known for chicken and Christmas,” notes Bronner, adding that both Zehnder’s and the Bavarian Inn are two of the largest independently owned restaurants in the country and that together they can seat close to 3,000 people and serve about two million chicken dinners a year. “At one time they were owned by the same family, but now they’re generations apart so they’re now owned by cousins,” adds Bronner. We dine at Zehnder’s and enjoy plates of golden fried chicken, Bavarian sausage, coleslaw, mashed potatoes and gravy, bean dishes, buttered egg noodles, and ice cream and sherbet for dessert.
The Bavarian Belle Riverboat on the Cass River in Frankenmuth
SPARKLING FRANKENMUTH
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE SPRING 2026 | 20
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker